On 6 March 1957 the Gold Coast, under British rule for more than a century, became independent as Ghana, named after an ancient West African empire. Kwame Nkrumah, who had spent time in prison for organising protests and led the Convention People's Party, became its first prime minister. He told a crowd at midnight that Ghana's independence was meaningless unless linked to the total liberation of Africa. It was the first sub-Saharan colony to gain independence from European rule, and in 1960, the 'Year of Africa', 17 more countries followed.
Before and after
- 10 January 1957Death of Gabriela Mistral
- 14 January 1957Death of Humphrey Bogart
- 8 February 1957Founding of Confederation of African Football
- 8 February 1957Death of John von Neumann
- 6 March 1957Ghana becomes independent
- 10 March 1957Birth of Osama bin Laden
- 25 March 1957Treaty of Rome
- 25 March 1957Founding of European Atomic Energy Community
- 22 April 1957Birth of Donald Tusk
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 12 March 1947 to 25 December 1991Cold War
- 15 August 1947India and Pakistan become independent
- 10 December 1948Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953Korean War
- from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975Vietnam War
- 24 February 2022Full-scale Russo-Ukrainian war
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.